‘Anger Management’ Review: “Charlie and Lacey Piss Off the Neighborhood”

‘Anger Management’ continues on its 90-episode, two-year run with its 23rd overall episode “Charlie and Lacey Piss Off the Neighborhood,” as Charlie inadvertently antagonizes his neighbors by revealing the presence of his therapy group, while Kate helps Jen and Sam pick out a prom dress.

Last week’s episode “Charlie Gets Lindsay Lohan in Trouble” saw Charlie striking up a relationship with Lindsay Lohan after treating her at a commercial shoot, soon finding his actions hurt her relationship with the press, so what will the latest episode bring?  Are there more laughs to be had in the twenty-third half-hour of ‘Anger Management,’ or does it blow up the neighborhood?

Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘Anger Management’ episode 23, “Charlie and Lacey Piss Off the Neighborhood!”

Lacey enters anger therapy late, having spent time arguing with one of Charlie’s neighbors about parking her car, losing her temper, and running over the man’s trash cans. Charlie insists that they go over to apologize, but the neighbor Hoffler ('Arrested Development's Bob Einstein) doesn’t care for Charlie’s neighborly habits either. Hoffler is however dismayed to learn that Charlie’s constant house-guests are in fact anger management patients, and his insults force Charlie to drag Lacey away, who calls the man a "douche-nozzle."

Later, Charlie and Kate debate sex lubes, before Sam and Jen arrive complaining about their difficult prom dress shopping. Kate surprisingly offers to help, proving a bit more apt at identifying what Sam likes, though Charlie warns her against it. After they leave, Mike arrives and shows Charlie a flyer that his neighbor has been distributing against Charlie and his patients.

Kate finds a dress that Sam likes, though she and Jen differ on the value of proms given their own respective experiences. Sam quickly gives up on the idea of prom once she learns via text that her date has been spotted with someone else, but Kate proposes they team up and send Sam to the prom in a revenge dress. Back at Charlie’s house, Charlie proposes to the group that they throw a brunch with the neighbors to prove the anger management patients cause no harm.

The next day at the brunch, Charlie has the four awkwardly and anonymously mingle with his neighbors, before pointing out to the crowd they’d been talking to the patients all along. Before he can finish his plea however, Hoffler arrives and reveals that someone spray-painted “Douche-nozzle” on his house, implying Lacey to be the culprit. Lacey denies the accusation, but the group, and Charlie in particular have trouble believing her, causing her to storm out

Waiting for Sam to return home, Kate and Jen enjoy a glass of wine and admit that proms aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, before Sam finally returns beaming from the results of her revenge dress. The pair leave to get drinks, while back at Charlie’s house Mike comes over and admits that he was the one to spray-paint their neighbor’s garage, having gotten tired of Hoffler’s attitude.

Charlie arrives to Lacey’s house to apologize for suspecting her, and offers her an early dismissal from anger management as recompense. She takes it, but by the next morning’s meeting, Lacey returns to anger management anyway. She explains that her lack of reaction to Charlie’s accusation meant she’d made progress after all, but also reveals that she attacked a girl clubbing the previous night, and had been court-ordered to return anyway.

I think we can at least credit 'Anger Management' with drawing attention to the unusual practice of Charlie holding group meetings in his home, and using the concept to give Lacey (Noreen DeWulf) a bit of spotlight not usually afforded. Of course, there was very little doubt she'd return to anger management therapy almost immediately, rather than actually grow out of the series, but the A-plot raised enough interesting questions to keep things humming along. Having Kate and Jen bond over Sam's prom was also a nice way to get the characters together again, though the storyline would have benefit from a bit more attention, perhaps even a trip to Sam's prom itself to flesh things out.

It's worth noting today's announcement that comedian George Lopez will soon have his own FX series 'Saint George" under the same "10/90" model that will keep 'Anger Management' on TV for the next few years, but that's an awful lot of FX sitcom for one week. Oy.

Did you enjoy the latest from ‘Anger Management’s ongoing run, or did it make you burn with rage? Join us next time for another all-new ‘Anger Management’ episode recap of “Charlie and Kate Horse Around” on FX!